Since Devon and Cornwall/Dorset Police Alliance launched the UK’s first dedicated drone team in 2017 it has been used in all manner of operations, from the Royal Clarence Hotel fire in Exeter, photographing road traffic crash scenes, to helping to train riot police.

The force began testing the drones in 2015 and tried out a number of different kinds of drones until settling on the best all-rounders

Pc Tom Shainbert with one of the unit's drones at the Royal Cornwall Show in June (Image: Devon and Cornwall Police)